How to Get to a Better Mental State When You’re Overthinking
Every anxious person knows the feeling of an event sending their ruminating mind into turbo drive. You feel deeply upset, and your thoughts keep looping back to what happened. You’re scattered, distracted, exhausted. The event feels like it has a grip on you. For this post, I’m going to assume the upsetting event involves being […]
The Hidden Gap in College Student Mental Health Care
by Rachel Conrad, MD, and J. Wesley Boyd, MD, PhD Imagine being a college student like Alex, who was experiencing increasing anxiety and depression as the academic year progressed. During the spring semester, Alex finally found a psychiatrist in their college town, and after months of waiting, they began treatment and started to feel better. […]
Break the Cycle of Family Mental Illness
It is hard to understand why some people develop serious Mental health conditions while others do not. Research conducted across many decades has revealed that there is a genetic link to mental illnesses such as depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Additionally, one in five children has a parent with a serious mental illness. This does […]
The Continuing Challenges of a Mental Health Disability
Source: asinclair/Pixabay My intention in writing these posts is to share the experiences that I went through with my son, starting with the first manifestation of his illness and our journey through numerous subsequent episodes. It’s also to provide commentary as a parent and psychiatrist on issues that these experiences bring up, such as how […]
Send the Kids Outdoors, Improve their Mental Health
The weather in Quebec can be pretty unpleasant during winter and early spring. And yet, it was during the months of February, March, and April that over 500 children aged 10-12 were given classes outdoors for two hours each week in a gutsy experiment to see whether time in nature doing art, meditation, or learning […]
The Mental Health Benefits of Giving Thanks
Next week is Thanksgiving. For many, the day will be filled with food (a lot), family and friends, and endless football games on TV. Some families or friend gatherings have a tradition of going around the table to ask each participant what they are grateful for. But did you know that practicing gratitude positively actually […]
The Hidden Mental Health Costs of Dieting
In a world where dieting is often seen as a quick path to better health or improved self-esteem due to weight loss, the Mental health consequences of dieting are not often acknowledged. Yet, the psychological toll of dieting can be severe, often outweighing any physical benefits. Let’s explore some of the ways that dieting can […]
Differentiating Mental Health, Illness, and Performance
Mental health, mental illness, and mental performance are distinct concepts that impact the way we think, feel, and behave. They may be correlated to each other, but not always. Understanding and improving Mental health, mental illness, and mental performance can help us live our most healthy and authentic lives. This post will define the concepts […]
Resistance in the Black Community to Mental Health Services
I met with a group of approximately 40 Black women and proposed this simple question to them: “What Is It?” In my clinical experience, I frequently listen to comments from other Mental health professionals and agency representatives about why the Black community often seems to fail to seek Mental health diagnoses, treatment, and services. Two […]
Emerging Treatments for Substance Use and Mental Health Disorders
Source: Pormezz/Shutterstock The landscape of addiction treatment is experiencing a fascinating transformation, with psychedelic-assisted therapies emerging as a promising frontier. This approach, once considered taboo, is gaining traction in scientific circles and showing potential for treating various substance use disorders. Understanding the nuances of this evolution is crucial for enhancing your treatment offerings. The Renaissance […]